Writing-machine.



No. 896,925. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1908. J. R. MAQGUPIIE. WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.28,1905.

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- v 1;" A z 5 @111 {gm UNITED STATES TET FFTQCEQ JAMES R. MAoGUFFIE, OFNEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ROYAL TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF HOBOKEN, NEWJERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WRITING-MACHINE.

I Specification of'Lettere Patent.

Patented Aug 26, 1908 Application filed. November 28, 1905. Serial No.289,388.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns R. MACGUFFIE, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWritin -Machines, of which the following is a specification.

ThlS invention relates rimarily to front stroke writing machines w ereinthe carriage is shifted to print upper and lower case.

The invention comprises a new carriage shifting organization so arrangedthat the carria e may be shifted and be so held While the shift key isheld down and will return to normal position when the shift ke isreleased: or the carriage may, when shifted, be locked and so remainuntil released by the operator. To this end the carriage-shift keylever,having the usual finger piece, has pivoted upon it a latch key alsohaving a finger piece, W hen the key-lever finger piece is depressed,the carriage returns to normal position when the pressure is relieved.When the pivoted latch key finger piece is depressed, the carriage islocked in shifted position and so remains, when the finger of theoperator is lifted, until releasedby the operator which may beaccomplished either by slight vertical pressure upon the finger piece ofthe key-lever or slight lateral strain on the finger-piece of the latchkey.

ln the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a view in longitudinal sectionshowing so much of a writing machine as is sufficient to illustrate thisinvention: and Fig. 2, a detail View showing means for adjusting thecarriage counter-balancing spring.

The platen is not shown. a, is the lower front rail upon which thecarria e of the machine is to run. it is supported y columns!) carriedin the ends of pairs of parallel armsc, c located at the sides of themachine the latter ones 0 of which are connected to a rock shaft d.Projecting downwardly from the rock shaft at each side of the machine isan arm 6. At one or more points there also extends from the rock shaftrearwardly and upwardly an arm f to which is attached a coiled springifactmgto counter-balance the carriage an associated arts. The lower endof the spring is hooke into either one of a series of notches in aspring adjusting plate f pivoted eccentrically at f and slotted toreceive a clam ing thumb belt) that screws plate f into the rear framemachine.

When two shift key levers are used, one at each side of the machine,their con struction and operation will be the same and therefore it issufficient to illustrate and describe but one. The shift key leverh ispivotally mounted upon a cross pivoted bar h extending between the sideplates of the frame at the rear of the machine and has an upwardprojection h extending in rear of, and adapted to make 0 erativc contactwith, the projection c from t e carriage shift rock shaft. The key-leveris held in normal elevvated position by any appropriately arran ed sring, a e spring h for that purpos beifig showrl The key-lever is turnedupwardly at its front end and equipped with a finger piece '1']. When.pressure is exerted upon this finger piece, the carriage is shifted .bycontact of h with e, and, when pressure upon the finger piece '1', isrelieved, the carriage automatically returns to normal posi tion.Pivoted upon the key-lever h is a ver tically disposed latch lever jequipped with a finger piece j and having at its lower end a rightangular projection j extending toward the front of the machine and at ornear its end v vbe efiected by pressure upon the finger piece 7- of thevertically disposed latch lever, the pressure overcomes the reaction ofspring m and permits thevertical part of the latch lever to 'moveslightly rearwardly so that notch n ongages stop lc, these partsremaining in engagement and locxing the carriage. When pressure isexerted upon finger. piece i spring m acts to rock the latch levertoward the front of the machine and against the back stop 7c, therebyunlocking the carriage .and

permitting it to return to normal position. Instead of releasing thecarriage in this way, it may be done by slight strain exerted upon jtoward the front of the machine acting to carry a and is out of lockingengagement.

The stop k sleeve turning upon a pin k fixed in the side of the frame.This construction I find efficient. It relieves friction and yet theroller is capable of forming a lock, with the latch lever, capable ofwithstanding the tension or strains exerted when the carriage is lockedin shifted position.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a writing machine, the combination with ashifting carriage and shift key-lever having a finger piece applieddirectly to it, of

a latch-lever, also having a finger piece,'p1v

oted on the key-lever and acting when depressed to. actuate thekey-lever to shift the carriage, a stop with which the latch engages tolock the carriage in shifted position when the carriage is shifted bypressure applied to the latch-lever, and means for preventing locking ofthe carriage when shifted by pressure applied directly to the shift keylever.

2. n a writing machine, the combination with .a shifting carriage andshift key-lever having a rigid finger piece, of a latch-lever alsohaving a finger piece pivoted on the keys lever and acting whendepressed to actuate the key-lever to shift the carriage, a stop withwhich the latch engages to lock the carriage in shifted position and aspring, mounted on the key-lever, whose reaction tendsto hold thelatch-lever out of engagement with said stop when the key-lever isoperated by pressure applied directly to it. 3. In a writing machine,the combination with a shifting carriage, of a shift key-lever having afinger-piece applied directly to it, a latch-lever pivoted thereon andalso having a finger piece, a spring interposed. between the key-leverand latch-lever, a fixed stop with which the latch-lever engages to lockthe carriage when the key-lever is actuated by depression of the latchand out of engagement with. which the reaction of the spring holds thelatch-lever when the key lever is depressed by its own finger piece. 7

4. In a writing machine, the combination with a'shifting carriage, of ashift key-lever having a fingeriece, an angular latch-lever having avertica stem equipped with a finger piece and the angular extension ofwhich is pivoted to the key-lever in front of the stem, a springinterposed between the key-lever and latch lever and the reaction ofwhich tends to throw the stem of the latter toward the front of themachine and a fixed sto out of engagement with which the stem 0 the isshown as a roller or rotatable latch-lever is held by the spring whenthe key-lever is depressed by its finger piece and into engagement withwhich it is carried to lock the carriage when the key-lever is depressedby means of the latch-lever finger piece.

5. In a ,yvriting machine, the combination of a shifting carriage, alongitudinally arranged shift lever pivoted, at its rear end and havinga finger piece in the key board, a latch lever pivoted on the shiftlever and having an upwardly extending stem with a finger piece, a stopwith which the stem engages to lock the carriage in shifted osition anda spring interposed between t e shift lever and latch lever and whosereaction tends to carry the stem away from the stop.

6. In a writing machine, the combination of a shifting carriage, alongitudinally arran ed shift lever pivoted at its rear end and havmg afinger piece in the key board, a latch lever pivoted on the shift leverand having an upwardly extending stem with a finger piece, a roller stopwith which the stem engages to lock the carriage in shifted osition anda spring interposed between t e shift lever and atch lever and whosereaction tends to carry t e stem away from the stop.

7. In a writing machine, the combination with a shifting carriage andshift key levers having a rigid finger piece of a latch-lever, alsohaving a finger iece, pivoted on the key-lever and acting when depressedto actuate the key lever to shift the carriage, a roller stop with whichthe latch engages to lock the carriage in shifted position and a spring,mounted on the key-lever, whose reaction tends to hold the latch-leverout of engagement with said stop when the key lever is operated bypressure applied directly to it.

8. In a writing machine, the combination of a shifting carriage, alongitudinally ar ranged. shift lever pivoted, at'its rear end andhaving a finger piece in the key board, a rearwardly rocking latch leverpivoted on the shift lever and having an upwardly extending stem with afinger piece, a stop with which the rear face of the stem engages tolock the carriage in shifted position and a spring interposed betweenthe shift lever and latch lever and whose reaction tends to carry thestem away from the stop.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JAMES R. MAoGUFFIE.

Witnesses:

EDWIN B. Hess, L. F. BROWNING.

